Jermain Defoe scores twice as struggling Sunderland hold Liverpool

Liverpool missed the chance to move within three points of Premier League leaders Chelsea after being held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.


Jurgen Klopp's side finished 2016 with a bang, beating Manchester City 1-0 but failed to start 2017 in the same fashion as the Black Cats recovered from a 4-1 defeat against Burnley to earn an unlikely point thanks to a Jermain Defoe brace.

The Reds made one change to the team that beat City with captain Jordan Henderson ruled out because of a heel injury, replaced by Sturridge.

And it looked to be a masterstroke when the striker headed Liverpool in front on 19 minutes, diverting Dejan Lovren's mis-hit shot past Vito Mannone.

The lead was short lived however, as Jermain Defoe levelled things up from the penalty spot after Didier N'Dong was fouled by Ragnar Klavan in the 25th minute.

Mane looked to have secured the points in the 72nd minute with a close-range effort after a corner was flicked on.

But Defoe had the final word when he scored a second penalty with just over five minutes of normal time remaining after Mane handled in the box.







Credit: ESPN